New boss appointed at Fiat Chrysler Australia

Fiat Chrysler Australia has announced its second new Managing Director in less than two years.

The Italian-American company, which manages a diverse portfolio of brands including Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep, Alfa Romeo and Dodge, has confirmed that Steve Zanlunghi will take over with immediate effect from Pat Dougherty, who has been appointed the Head of Aftersales for FCA in the Asia Pacific region.

The appointments come in the same week that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia is scheduled for its preliminary hearing against former MD, Clyde Campbell, on claims he misappropriated millions of dollars in company funds to support a lavish lifestyle.

Mr Zanlunghi, an Australian national, first joined Chrysler in its Customer Center in 1997 before being appointed to a number of senior executive positions across the United States and Europe. He was named FCA UK's Managing Director in July 2012, while at the same time being appointed Chairman of FCA Ireland.

Since then, he was also named the Head of Jeep Brand for Europe, Middle East and Africa in February 2015, where was responsible for brand strategy, product, sales, marketing and dealer network development while also still overseeing the UK and Irish markets.

New Fiat Chrysler Australia boss Steve Zanlunghi Photo: Supplied

"I'm delighted to be making this announcement," said FCA's Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific, Mike Manley.

"It further strengthens our APAC team and sees one of our senior executives appointed to lead a key market for us. Steve is not only a capable leader, but he also has a good understanding of the Australian market place."

Mr Dougherty returns to the Mopar aftermarket division having successfully overseen a re-working of Fiat Chrysler's customer service operations in Australia following demands from the ACCC in the wake of numerous recalls and poor customer satisfaction results.

He has also set the foundations for a major return of Alfa Romeo, which will attempt to establish itself as a genuine premium brand against the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi with its all-new Giulia sedan which is due to go on-sale in Australia in February 2017 through an exclusive network of standalone dealerships.

While sales of all FCA brands have dipped since the free-spending days under Campbell's reign, there is plenty of fresh product on the horizon that should improve its position, starting with the Abarth 124 Spider (a re-born roadster built off the Mazda MX-5) later this year, a new mid-sized suburban Jeep that replaces both the Compass and Patriot models, an all-new Wrangler with a dual-cab ute variant for the first time, a new Grand Cherokee and the potential for high-performance muscle cars with the replacement for the existing Challenger and Charger due to be built in right-hand drive as well as introducing mainstream Ram pick-up trucks.